Must-see restaurants in Brisbane

  • Stokehouse exterior

    Stokehouse Q

    Brisbane

    Sophisticated bistro fare and relaxing river views make this one of Brisbane's destination restaurants. At crisp, linen-clad tables, urbanites toast to…

  • Eat Street Northshore

    Brisbane

    Brisbane's riverside take on the night food market feels like a gastronomic carnival, its village of shipping-containers-turned-kitchens peddling…

  • Maeve Wine

    Brisbane

    This narrow, timber-panelled nirvana for food and wine lovers (book ahead) is split into separate bar and bistro areas. Its sharing-style menu showcases…

  • Vaquero Dining

    Brisbane

    Hidden behind its own boutique butchery, Vaquero Dining has three obsessions: local produce, pickling and charcoal cooking. Expect beautifully executed…

  • Carl's

    Brisbane

    Carl's is the intimate, continental-spirited bistro-wine bar you wish you had on your street. A handful of tables share the space with the open kitchen,…

  • Signature

    Brisbane

    Elegant dining thrives in this hatted, deco-inspired dining room, complete with flawlessly attentive staff, a 1000-glass-bauble ceiling installation and…

  • Balfour Kitchen

    Brisbane

    Should you nosh in the dining room, on the verandah or among the frangipani in the courtyard? This polished cafe-restaurant creates a very Queensland…

  • Joy

    Fortitude Valley

    Advance planning is the only way to secure a place at this 10-seat, omakase-inspired 'it kid', one of Australia's hottest eateries. Behind its compressed…

  • Same Same

    Fortitude Valley

    Book an early feed to avoid a wait at what is one of Brisbane's hottest dining spots. Here, Thai-inspired recipes, top-tier produce and contemporary…

  • 1889 Enoteca

    Brisbane

    Italian purists rightfully adore this moody, sophisticated bistro and wine shop, where pasta is not served with a spoon and a Roman-centric menu delivers…

  • Three Blue Ducks

    Brisbane

    Sydney’s cult-status, produce-driven eatery has checked into Brisbane’s W hotel, complete with river views. Here, morning coconut chia pudding might come…

  • Gauge

    Brisbane

    In a crisp, sparse space punctuated by black-spun aluminium lamps and a smashing wine list, clean, contemporary dishes burst with Australian confidence…

  • Little Valley

    Fortitude Valley

    Hatted Little Valley has established quite a reputation for its contemporary, regional Chinese cuisine. Order an on-point cocktail and snap your…

  • Nodo

    Fortitude Valley

    Light-washed Nodo serves up Brisbane's poshest doughnuts, with combos like Valrhona chocolate with beetroot. They're gluten-free, baked (not fried) and…

  • Happy Boy

    Fortitude Valley

    Fun, loud and always pumping, this ever-hip place draws all types with its toothsome Chinese, good enough to make your uncle weep. Dive into smashing…

  • Morning After

    Brisbane

    Decked out in blonde-wood furniture, terrazzo flooring and bold green accents, airy, contemporary Morning After turns out exceptional, produce-driven fare…

  • Longtime

    Fortitude Valley

    Blink and you'll miss the alley leading to this dim, kicking hotspot. The menu is designed for sharing, with a repertoire of Thai-inspired dishes that…

  • Naïm

    Brisbane

    Cafe-style Naïm wins on many levels: affable staff, laid-back vibe, verdant views from the back room, and fresh, gorgeous dishes inspired by the Middle…

  • Sourced

    Brisbane

    Decked out with a vine-laced front deck and open kitchen, chilled, warehouse-turned-cafe Sourced serves beautiful, seasonal cafe fare made with high…

  • Urbane

    Brisbane

    After working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, Brisbane-born chef Andrew Gunn now steers Urbane. Widely considered Brisbane's top restaurant, its…

  • Cha Cha Char exterior

    Cha Cha Char

    Brisbane

    Fastidious carnivores drool at the mere mention of this linen-tabled steakhouse, famed for its wood-fired slabs of premium Australian beef. Rib, rump and…

  • Bar Alto interior entrance

    Bar Alto

    Brisbane

    At the arts-pumping Brisbane Powerhouse, this snappy upstairs bar-restaurant draws culture vultures and general bon vivants with its enormous balcony, at…

  • The Vietnamese exterior

    Vietnamese

    Fortitude Valley

    Aptly if unimaginatively named, this retro joint is indeed the place in town to eat Vietnamese, with skillfully prepared dishes served to an always…

  • Plenty West End

    Brisbane

    In the far west of West End lies this graphics-factory-turned-cafe, a rustic, industrial backdrop for farm-to-table edibles. Scan the counter for freshly…

  • Julius

    Brisbane

    This svelte Italian fires up proper pizzas, divided into pizze rosse (with tomato sauce) or pizze bianche (without). The former includes a simple,…

  • Arc Dining

    Brisbane

    Reminiscent of a designer beach shack, Arc is the top dining option at Howard Smith Wharves. Floor-to-ceiling windows deliver smashing bridge-and-city…

  • Montrachet

    Fortitude Valley

    Seductive accents, French posters and classic Gallic fare: is this Bowen Hills or Burgundy? You'll feel much closer to France at this comptoir-bistro…

  • Wandering Cooks

    Brisbane

    Wandering Cooks serves up rotating, pop-up food stalls in a lofty warehouse. On any day you might find yourself tucking into Egyptian, Cambodian or Aussie…

  • Hello Please

    Brisbane

    Hawker-inspired bar-cum-eatery Hello Please is all about punchy, knockout flavours in a South Brisbane laneway. Vietnamese inspired and East-Asian…

  • Chu the Phat

    Brisbane

    Asian street food gets sexy at sleek, split-level Chu the Phat. Here, broth-bathed dumplings burst with smoked trout, while mung bean pancakes find their…

  • Hôntô

    Fortitude Valley

    An unmarked door at the end of an alley ushers you into Hôntô's dramatic universe of charred-timber panels and glittering chandeliers. One of Brisbane's…

  • Sorellina

    Brisbane

    'Little Sister' offers the pizzeria 2.0 experience: chianti bottles are ditched for organic and biodynamic wines, and Napoli posters for Bowie portraits…

  • Chop Chop Chang's

    Brisbane

    'Happiness never decreases by being shared.' So said the Buddha. The hordes at this casual, cavernous stalwart concur, sharing bowls of flavour-packed,…

  • GOMA Restaurant

    Brisbane

    The Gallery of Modern Art's luminous, fine-dining restaurant showcases native ingredients in a sophisticated, contemporary menu that might begin with raw…

  • Grown

    Brisbane

    At West End's western edge, this airy, sustainable cafe-restaurant champions local produce and meat-free dining. Almost everything is made in-house,…

  • Donna Chang

    Brisbane

    Polished, contemporary Chinese in a converted 1920s bank? Count us in. Paste hued and chandelier pimped, Donna Chang peddles superbly nuanced dishes like…

  • Madame Rouge

    Fortitude Valley

    Dark and sexy, Madame Rouge sets a very Parisian scene with red-velvet curtains, tasselled table lamps and Toulouse-Lautrec prints. The menu – co-designed…

  • Baja

    Fortitude Valley

    Piñatas are ditched for Tasmanian oak, natural clay and Queensland marble at dimly-lit, next-gen Baja, where smart, Mexican-inspired dishes flaunt top…

  • Catbird Seat Bistro

    Brisbane

    Behind French-lattice windows, Catbird Seat runs an intimate, soulful affair, its bentwood chairs, blackboard specials and petite bar paging a somewhat…

  • Messina

    Brisbane

    Sydney's cult-status artisanal gelateria keeps Brisbanites cool with its extensive, rotating repertoire of freshly churned flavours. The emphasis is on…